Chapter Six: Getting Bored.
Azula awoke on cushions of the finest silk and felt the rays of the sun on her face. She had a plan, and it was well underway. So why was she so reluctant to get out of bed?
She'd been working for days upon days upon days on this project. She didn't know exactly how long. Nothing she did could help her keep track of the time she spent here. Azula was bored and tired.
Even so, she stood up, stretched like usual, did her hair and walked out.
There was Ty Lee and Mai like always. Once again Ty Lee stood and opened her mouth. Azula reached out on reflex and shut it, before pouring herself some coffee. Quickly she sipped it.
Then she turned to them. "Well, we've gotten the general outline of the wind currents in the city ready." said Azula at last. "I think we're about ready to begin phase 2 of my plan." She glanced at Mai, who was eyeing her strangle. Like she always did. Mai opened her mouth. "I don't mean the coup. If we start just one blaze, it'll get isolated and put out. But if we start several simultaneously-"
"Azula, what are you talking about?" asked Mai. As usual, Mai had no idea what was going on. Neither did Ty Lee, but Ty Lee didn't care.
"Our plan to burn down Ba Sing Se." said Azula. "I've been reliving the same day over and over again, and I've decided the best solution is to lay waste to the entire city." She had explained this perhaps twenty million times already. But, as always, she had to do it again.
"I thought we wanted to take it over." said Ty Lee.
"Enough of that, Ty Lee." said Azula. She tried to control her irritation. "Where am I going to get access to that kind of manpower?"
"Shouldn't we be working with the Dai Li." asked Mai.
Azula blinked. "The Dai Li? Now there is an idea. An organization like theirs probably operates on a need to know basis. I think we can exploit this.
"We'll also need to clear away any potential threats.
"Perhaps we could use the coup to our advantage? We don't need all the Dai Li to take down the generals. But then, we don't need to take down all the generals."
"What do you mean?" asked Mai.
"If the Dai Li's plan doesn't take out all the generals there will be a civil war." said Azula. "If there is a civil war then the command of Ba Sing Se will fall into chaos. And if there is chaos, there will be no one to organize the fire fighters. Will there?" She was thinking through this on the fly.
"Won't a lot of people get killed in the blaze though?" asked Ty Lee.
Azula shrugged. "That's a sacrifice I'm willing to make.
"Still, we'll need to know the layout of the city." Neither one of them would defy her. Neither of them would dare. When Azula finally initiated her plan, neither one of them would have the chance to stop it.
"You really should try to be nicer, dear." said Mother.
"SHUT UP, MOTHER!" snarled Azula.
"Is your mother here?" asked Ty Lee.
"Yes!" said Azula. "And she keeps harassing me! I'm tired of her telling me what to do!"
"I only have your best interests at heart." said Mother in a fake kind voice. It sounded real, but it was fake.
"Azula," said Mai, "I think you've lost it."
"No, no, this is her plan!" said Azula. "She wants to embarrass me in front of you! Say something, say something!"
"...Can we maybe get back to the plan?" asked Ty Lee in a small voice.
"Yes, fine." said Azula. "If only to shut Mother up."
When they left the room, Azula shut and locked the door. That way Mother couldn't follow her.
Later they kneeled before the Earth King. He listened to them keenly, his hand clasped on his knees. The bear sat at his feet, eyeing them, and as Azula made he request she remembered firing a lightning bolt that killed them both. She didn't feel any satisfaction at the memory.
Why did it matter if she could kill them so easily? It would just loop back again.
The Earth King paused as she finished. "You want information on firefighting crews? That's unusual."
She needed an explanation. Fortunately, she had prepared one well in advance. Based on real-life events. "Well, my home of Kyoshi was burned down by Prince Zuko." said Azula. "I'd hate to see that happen-" She trailed off as the bear lumbered down the steps toward her.
The bear brushed against her. The forced of it nearly knocked Azula to the ground. She struggled to push him off, only to be licked across the face. The sensation of its tongue on her made her shudder. It was disgusting.
"Oh don't worry about Bosco. He's perfectly friendly." said the Earth King. "That means he likes you." Liked her, did it? There was something odd about this bear. What kind of bear was just... a bear.
"That's wonderful." said Azula, resisting the urge to blow the thing away. "In any case, I'd like to see the records in the firefighting groups. I might be able to arrange things, so they work a bit better." That was a sub par lie if she'd ever made one. The bear had taken her off guard.
Maybe she should kill the Earth King again and start over. No, she might have to watch Ty Lee die if she did that. Suicide it was then.
"That doesn't sound unreasonable." said the Earth King. "I'll show you to the record hall myself."
Or maybe the Earth King was as gullible as he was stupid. How had this man lasted this long, again?
The record hall was absolutely enormous. The shelves stretched high into the air so that one needed a huge ladder to reach the top. Crystals sat on the ceiling, illuminating the room from below. The floor was wood paneled.
Despite herself, Azula was impressed. As she walked behind the Earth King, she wondered how to admit the fact. "This is... very extensive."
"Yes. My father went out of his way to set in place extensive records. He wanted to be able to intervene in everything." said the Earth King. "The Dai Li's original role was learning about how things worked throughout Ba Sing Se. Eventually, they were expanded to maintaining order. I never dreamed Long Feng would have taken such a large amount of control for himself."
"What did you expect?" asked Azula. "Those who have the opportunity to seize power, take it."
"Well, truth be told my parents died when I was very young." admitted the Earth King. "I was raised by servants, and Long Feng decided who saw me. I didn't even know there was a war on until a few days ago." He looked at her oddly. "What was it like for you?"
"Me?" asked Azula, surprised.
"Yes." said the Earth King. "What were your parents like?"
Azula looked away. She didn't feel like answering. Especially not to some earth savage. But to maintain the masquerade she had to say something. Finally, she sighed and settled on the truth. "My Mother thought I was a monster. And my father always expected the world of me."
"That sounds hard." said the Earth King. "How did you cope?"
"Mostly by bullying my older brother." said Azula. "He was never nearly as talented as I was." She couldn't keep the pride out of her voice.
"You should be nice to your brother." said Mother. How had she gotten out of the room.
"Just ignore her, and she'll go away." said Azula.
"Ah." said the Earth King. He paused as they came to a series of records. He read the title, then nodded. "Well, here we are. These are all the records on firefighting methods in Ba Sing Se. I'd better get back to the throne. Ever since Long Feng was imprisoned, I've had much more to do."
He turned and walked away. "Thank you Mr. Earth King." called Ty Lee.
"It's no trouble." said the Earth King. Then he left.
What was his name again? Azula decided it was irrelevant. "Now, we'd better get to work."
They began to read through the various documents. As they did, Azula realized that Ty Lee and Mai were of no use in this situation. Even if they memorized the data, they wouldn't remember it tomorrow. This... loop, was presenting some interesting challenges.
But that challenge only encouraged her. Azula wouldn't have chased the Avatar here if anyone could have done it. The fact that Zhao and Zuko had failed had made her want to exceed them. To prove once and for all that she was greater than them.
And when she seized Ba Sing Se she had proved herself greater than Iroh, and Sozin, and Ozai. She was fourteen now. When she became Firelord, as she was certain she would, she would be greater still. She would be the greatest Firelord in history. Azula would make an empire of the world.
No one would dare oppose her.
"Excuse me." said the water peasant. "I'm looking for the Earth King, and I was told he was..." She paused. "You aren't the Kyoshi Warriors."
Azula sighed. "Ty Lee, take care of this."
As soon as she said that the water peasants eyes widened. She took a stance and began to summon her water. "Azula!" Before she could move, however, Ty Lee leaped over her. Reaching down with one hand, Ty Lee caught her on the shoulder. The water peasants body went limp, the water spattered over the floor as she hit the ground.
Azula drew out the rope she'd brought with her. She'd taken to keeping it on her lately, what with the water peasant constantly interfering. Kneeling by the peasant, she dragged her arms behind her back and tied them together. Then drawing up her legs she tied them to her arms in a painfully tight bind. So tight that the girl's chest was forced off the ground, so she had to support herself on her stomach.
"You did that very quickly, didn't you?" asked Mai.
"This has got to be the hundredth time she has interfered." said Azula, feeling dead. "I've had a lot of practice."
"You... you won't get away with this..." said the water peasant, voice low.
"Yes, yes, we've heard it all before." said Azula. Then curiousity struck her. Maybe it was because of how many times she'd been thrown in prison. Or maybe she was merely hungry for new information after focusing so much on records. "What is your name?"
"Why should I tell you anything?" asked the water peasant.
"Well, I could cut your throat here and now." suggested Azula.
She paled. So the water peasant feared death, did she? "My... my name is Katara."
"Fascinating, water peasant." said Azula. "Where were you born?"
"Why should you care?" asked Katara. "You're fire nation!"
"I'm hoping to exploit the information." said Azula. "And if you don't answer I'll cut your throat."
"I was born in the South Pole." said the girl.
"Hmm, and why did you follow the Avatar?" asked Azula.
"Because I believe Aang can save the world." said the water peasant, voice furious. "He won't let you get away with this! You're a horrible person; you know that? Chasing the Avatar-MMPH!"
Azula put a rope between her lips and gagged her. Her frustrated screams were quite satisfying. Looking up, she glanced to Mai and Ty Lee. "Ty Lee, is there a closet we can store her in?"
"I'll go look." said Ty Lee.
"Knock her out first." said Azula.
Ty Lee obeyed, and the water peasant fell unconscious.
Azula spent several more loops memorizing everything she could about the schedules of the fire crews. The locations of the major wells, and all the methods used to prevent infernos. She figured out who among the Dai Li were ideal for her purposes and developed a rough plan.
And then, having become bored, she decided to take a loop off. It wasn't as if she didn't have time. She had all the time in the world. All the time in the world.
It was time to pay the water peasant a different kind of retribution.
Author's Note:
And here we are with chapter five.
From the looks of things, Azula is starting to get emotionally invested in Ba Sing Se. In the same way, she is emotionally invested in Zuko, who is the closest thing she has to a positive relationship. So yeah, weep for Ba Sing Se. Weep.
Enjoy.